Playing-ball.



Patented Oct. l4, I902.

F. H. RICHARDS. PLAYING BALL.

(Application filgd June 27, 1902] (N0 llodl.)

m5 ncnms nncns c0v mom-umm WASHINGTON. n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS H. RICHARDS, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THEKEMPSI-IALL MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

PLAYING-BALL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. '71 1,229, datedOctober 14, 1902.

Application filed June 27, 1902. Serial No. 113,415. .No model.)

To (0 whom, it may concern:

Be it known that LFRANCIS H. RICHARDS, a citizen of the United States,residing at I-Iartford, in the county of Hartford and State ofConnecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inPlaying-Balls, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to playing-balls, especially those used in golf;and its object is to provide a ball of superior qualities.

My improvements relate especially to the filling, which I so constructthat the ball is rendered highly resilient in proportion to its size andweight.

In the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is apart-sectional view of one form of ball made in accordance with mypresent improvements. Fig. 2 shows a fragment of a rubber strip used informing the filling. Fig. 3 is a part-sectional View of the filling ofthe ball and is illustrative of the manner of winding the same. Fig. 4shows a fragment of spring-wire used in winding the filling.

In the several views similar parts are designated by similar charactersof reference.

At the center of the ball is a sphere 1, which consists, preferably, ofsoft rubber and is preferably large in proportion to the size of thecompleted ball. Preferably said sphere 1. consists of a solid mass ofmolded rubber, although it may be otherwise constructed within the scopeof my present improvements and may, if desired, have a center piece ofhard material. Upon this sphere 1 I apply under great tension a sheet orstrip 2, Fig. 2, which may consist of either sulfur-cured rubber oracid-cured dental dam, the latter being preferred principally because itis acidcured and practically free from foreign mixture, which wouldimpair its elasticity, and also because it can be drawn tight withoutliability to rupture and is not liable to become cut when wrapped uponwire. In practice I use with good results strips originally fromone-half to three-fourths of an inch in width and from twoone-hundredths to three one-hundredths of an inch in thickness, so thatwhen tightly tensioned upon the ball the width is reduced to fromone-fourth to onehalf of an inch, as at A, Fig. 3, and its thinness in due proportion. A further advantage of the dental dam is its lightness,whereby the weight of other parts of the ball may be to some extentcompensated.

Simultaneously with winding the rubber strips I wind continuously inmiscellaneous directions a length of tempered steel-wire spring 3, whichis preferably flat or oblong in cross-section, as illustrated, and woundflatwise upon the ball. This wire before winding may be substantiallystraight, and hence flexed or sprung at each winding, thereby making atension in the wire, whereby each band or convolution tends constantlytorecover its normal straight condition, so that every part thereof is ina state ofhigh initial tension. Moreover, since each portion of the wireis wound upon the ball undergreat 1ongitudinal tension it holds theinclosed central portion of the ball under high compression. Thestructure hence comprises a sphere of soft rubber which is bound tightlywithin windings of highly-tensioned sheet-rubber and windings oflongitudinally unyielding wire, said wire itself being highly tensionedby the bending, so that a ball of phenomenal energy is produced.Preferably the wire and rubber are wound on together, as illustrated atFig. 3, so that the longitudinal axis of the wire substantiallycoincides with that of the windings of rubber; but this relativearrangement is not essential in all cases so long as windings of rubberalternate with windings of spring-wire. As illustrated, the wire iswound within the rubber, as at B, Fig. 3; but this arrangement may bereversed and many variations in windings of wire and rubber may beresorted to.

It will be seen that. the convolutions of spring-wire are of differentdiameters and wound in different directions and also that each of saidconvolutions is bound tightly by the conjoint action of the superposedhighlytensioned rubber and wire, whereby the spring action of the wireis considerably modified, the same being rendered far more resistingthan would be the case if unsupported, as at Fig. l. The efiect ofover-winding a spring-wire in this manner is to render it extremelystiff, so that a light blow from a club upon a ball fails to flex thewire to such an extent as to render the ball unduly active. The outerwindings of wire and rubber hold all within in a powerful grip, and therubber sphere 1 is in like manner gripped by all of the wire and rubberwindings, so that the tendency upon the part of all of the members is'topreserve a spherical form. When the ball is given a hard blow with aclub, the wire convolutions directly affected by the club are flexed,while the ball as a Whole is changed from its spherical form, thischange being instantly resisted by the springy spherical core 1, whichis confined under great tension by the windings of rubber andspring-wire, so that the ball has prodigious flying-power. It will alsobe seen that each winding of the wire is packed or embedded within therubber, so as to form a perfectlyacting resilient member, which canwithstand considerable deformation under a blow and recover its formcompletely and instantly. Upon the filling thus formed I provide a shell5 of wear-resistin g material, preferably guttapercha, and preferablyholding said filling under a high degree of compression. Since thewindings of the wire and rubber are very effective in maintaining thespherical form of the filling, the shell, although in a tense conditionthereon, is not subjected to undue additional strain by reason of thechange of the filling from its normal spherical form under a blow, sothat liability of the shell to burst under a heavy blow is minimized. Itwill also be understood that the layer, which is formed of windings ofrubber and wire and which is designated as G, furnishes a peculiar localresiliency under the action of a blow and makes a very effectivedistribution of the force of the blow throughout a large portion of theball.

Aball made in accordance with my present improvements may, if desired,contain a larger core 1 of solid soft rubber than heretofore founddesirable in a high-class golfball, and hence less wound rubber may beemployed in the layer C, thus maintaining or even increasing theefficiency of the ball, while decreasing the expense of its production,since the solid molded rubber core 1 is less costly than the windings.However, my invention is not limited in all cases to the use of softrubber for the inner part of the filling.

By the term wire I mean to include any hard springy extremely-elongatedbody adapted to cooperate with the rubber windings in the manner hereinset forth, and for this purpose I prefer to employ steel, which ispreferably spring-tempered and flat.

. Having described my invention, I claim 1. A playing-ball comprising asphere of soft rubber, windings thereon of tensioned rubber mixed withtight windings of wire, and a cover.

2. A playing-ball comprising a sphere and a cover; said spherecomprising layers of soft 6. A playing-ball comprising a distinct sphereof rubber, windings thereon of tensioned rubber mixed with windings oftempered spring-wire in a tense condition, and a hard cover formed ofplastic material.

7. A playing-ball comprising a distinct sphere of soft materialthroughout which are embedded convolutions of spring-wire, and a cover.

8. A playing-ball comprising a sphere of soft rubber throughout whichare embedded convolutions of tempered spring-wire in a tense condition,and a cover formed of plastic material and holding said sphere undercompression.

9. A playing-ball at least a portion whereof consists of a length ofwire and a strip of rubber wound coincidently, one within the other, inmiscellaneous directions.

10. A playing-ball at least a portion whereof consists of a length offiat tempered wire and a strip of tensioned rubber wound coincidently.

11. A playing-ball at least a portion whereof consists of windings oftempered steel wire in a tense condition interspersed with windings oftensioned approximately pure rubber strips, said wire and said stripsbeing wound with substantial coincidence, one within the other, inmiscellaneous directions.

12. A playing-ball at least a portion whereof consists of windings oftempered steel wire in a tense condition interspersed with windings oftensioned approximately pure rubber strips; said wire and said stripsbeing wound with substantial coincidence, one within the other, inmiscellaneous directions; and a rubber sphere within said Winding.

13. A playing-ball at least a portion whereof consists of windings oftempered steel wire in a tense condition interspered with windings oftensioned approximately pure rubber strips; said wire and said stripsbeing wound with substantial coincidence, one within the other, inmiscellaneous directions; a rubber sphere within said windings; and ashell of gutta-percha holding said windings under compression.

14:. A playing-ball at least a portion whereof consists of a thickspherical body of soft, elastic material, throughout which areinterspersed convolutions of tempered wire, said convolutions beginningat the inner surface of said body and extending in miscellaneous IIOconsists of windings of flat spring-tempered wire interspersed withwindings of tensioned :5

rubber strips.

18. A playing-ball having a hard shell and a core, and a layer betweensaid shell and core; said layer consisting of windings in miscellaneousdirections of tempered spring 20 metal mingling with rubber.

FRANCIS H. RICHARDS.

Witnesses:

B. C. STICKNEY, JOHN O. SEIFERT.

